Now that you’ve made the decision to put your house on the market, there’s really just one thing you’ve got to do – make buyers fall in love with your home.
Here are a list of 5 things you can do to help others make yours the one they want to call home:
1. Declutter: This is probably the biggest thing you can do to make your home more attractive. It’s amazing the amount of stuff we has humans have the ability to accumulate. You probably don’t notice it, especially if there’s plenty of storage in your home, but you’ve got a lot of stuff. You can start the decluttering process by taking down personal items such as pictures of you and the kids (or grandkids) and replacing them with a nice vase of flowers or topiaries. By removing these personal items, you’ll be able to help potential buyers imagine themselves in your home. Imagine walking into a place that has pictures of other people it – makes it kind of hard to envision yourself living there, huh? Plus, by decluttering and putting away stuff that isn’t in season or simply isn’t essential for the time being you’ll actually make your home (and closets) look bigger.
2. Go Neutral: Bright colored walls may be your style – but they aren’t for everyone. And if you really want your house to sell your best bet is to go with some neutral colors. Changing the colors of your wall is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to make it more attractive to buyers. When the walls are clean and neutral, it can also help home buyers imagine their own belongings on them.
3. Give it a Deep Clean: Seriously – clean your house. It may look clean to you (and it probably is), but when someone is considering purchasing your home they’re going to see stuff you didn’t even know was there. Make the windows crystal clear, light some candles to help the place smell fresh, and really get deep down in that grout in the kitchen and bathroom. If you can’t (or don’t have the time) to do a deep clean yourself you may want to consider hiring someone to do it for you. It will really help make your home look its best.
4. If There’s Something Major, Fix It: This seems pretty self-explanatory, but you’d be surprised. A pre-inspection can alert you to any problems – which will be brought up anyway when a buyer sends their inspector through your home. If there’s an issue that pops up, you’ll know about it ahead of time and can either pay to have it fixes or negotiate with the buyers. It’ll really help you in the long run and maybe even save you from having a buyer drop out of negotiations completely.
5. Stage, Stage, Stage: As staging professionals, we’re obviously big on this when it comes to getting buyers to fall in love with your home – but it seriously makes a difference. If your home isn’t staged well (it looks cluttered or just unattractive) or is empty because you’ve already found another home and moved into it, prospective buyers won’t be able to imagine themselves living there. It’s much easier to see where they would want to put their own belongings when they can see how someone else has it set up – plus, it just makes your house look better!
Consider going through this list and you’ll find a buyer in no time!
